Keyline brings 'new generation' MIS to the UK

Cloud to Print has finalised a deal to market Keyline, the MIS developed by German-based Crispy Mountain, in the UK.

Cloud To Print was recently set up in London by Paul Warren and will trade under the name of its adopted product.

Subscription costs will vary and are based on the average number of users at a company per month – according to Warren, smaller companies could pay “a few hundred” pounds per month, while large firms will likely pay “a few thousand”.

“Reception and interest in the UK has already been remarkable through word of mouth,” he said. “I think this system is perfect for those with a hybrid setup – incorporating a mix of litho, digital and wide-format – who are looking for an opportunity to add automation.

“Our pitch as we take this to market is that there is the old way, the new way, and now the Keyline way. You used to take information to a sales guy for a quote, now people are using web-to-print and similar systems.

“The Keyline way is to take care of things like preflighting and data management, so our clients can spend more time with their customers. We want to save printers time and money, so they can take a more consultative position with their customers.”

Warren, who also founded website development company Visix, described Keyline as an “exceptional solution” due to its open interfaces, which allow for communication with any kind of software, as well as printing, finishing and logistical machinery.

Warren said Cloud to Print will collaborate with developers of leading web-to-print, pre-press and print-related developers to “deliver an end-to-end workflow solution that’s only limited by our clients’ ambitions”.

Warren said Keyline was designed for a market focused on shorter runs and a higher volume of jobs.

Developed in collaboration with a number of German print companies, Keyline is a software-as-a-service product and intended to cover the full print process from order taking and estimating through production and finishing to stock keeping, logistics and accounting.

Cloud to Print, incorporated in January this year, employs six members of staff though Warren said there is “opportunity to overlap” with Visix’s 10-strong team. The firm’s first-year target for turnover is around £500,000.